Related Links

Johannesburg - DA leader Mmusi Maimane on Tuesday welcomed President Jacob Zuma's letter to Shaun Abrahams, and also called for a parliamentary inquiry into the National Director of Public Prosecutions.

This would allow Parliament to hold the executive to account, and ensure that those with executive power were fit for the job, Maimane said.

Zuma wrote to Abrahams, asking him to provide written reasons why he should not be suspended and face an inquiry into his fitness to hold office, the Presidency said on Tuesday.

"Abrahams’s tenure has been amateurish and deeply tainted by political witch-hunts, which has brought the independence of the entire National Prosecuting Authority into disrepute,” Maimane said.

“We are of the firm view that Abrahams is unfit to hold the office of National Director of Public Prosecutions, and the intention to suspend him is welcomed."

Maimane said there was ample evidence that Abrahams was unfit for the job. His first act as NDPP was to drop charges against former acting NDPP, Nomgcobo Jiba, and promote her. He wasted millions of rands of public money appealing the “spy tapes” ruling, despite the DA repeatedly winning in court on the matter.

The country could not have NDPPs who were hand-picked by Zuma, given a mandate not to prosecute him on corruption charges, and then discarded, Maimane said.

He said the DA would introduce a Constitutional Amendment Bill that would ensure that a 60% vote in the National Assembly was required to appoint an NDPP.

“This will go a long way in halting the abuse of the NPA for political reasons,” he said.

Zuma’s request for written representations was also sent to director of public prosecutions Sibongile Mzinyathi and acting special director of public prosecutions Torie Pretorius.